Today's Blah-g

Wow, what a stinker today. Clouds and rain all day. It is a perfect day to be stuck at work, as I am. If you are not stuck at work but want an excuse to stay in, check out this article from Scientific American about the mightiest organelle, the mitochondrion! It outlines a recent study that examined how rats responded to an injection of mitochondria after sustaining a cardiac arrest ("heart attack"). One group received "live" mitochondria, one received frozen mitochondria to serve as an equivalent supply of nutrients but presumably not the action of mitochondria, and a 3rd received saline as a control. The latter 2 showed similar results, but the 1st group with "live" mitochondria demonstrated significant improvement as a group. Of course, this is a lab study, in animals, with induced disease, but still a pretty good indicator of the power of mitochondria. So if they can repair damage after the fact, imagine what they can do for us if we take good care of them and supercharge them before we run into problems? Mitochondria are more than just "the powerhouse of the cell". They are part of the endocrine system, responding to hormone signals and sending out their own. Actually, they're part of every system, since they are present in all cells. They are also very sensitive and responsive to all electromagnetic radiation, including visible light. Even light received through the eyes has the potential to program mitochondria throughout the body due to that endocrine link and their capacity to signal to each other. That is why I'm committed to the daily sunrise walk. It is a foundation for establishing mitochondrial health. There is definitely more to it, but I have found that to be a great place to start.